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Windows Operating System Installation Load USB Hard Drive wrong path

Emmanuel Barbosa 1 Reputation point
2022-03-02T00:15:56.99+00:00

I'm using a Panasonic CF-54 with a unique Windows OS.

I've spent the last few days running an experimental installation of a Windows server at my office directly from a USB Hard Drive and have encountered a few issues that I need help with.

We have a custom built Laptop Server Operating System that we typically install using Blu-Ray discs, but recently one of our supervisors decided that it would be nice to try and build it using a USB Hard Drive because it would save money on discs and readers. I volunteered to try it and out of 12 attempts 3 have been successful. However, I'm not sure what I did different those three attempts. I have noted a few things that go wrong and perhaps someone here can help.

  1. When I'm installing it from the USB hard drive and it loads up the wizard on the first run, the installation fails due to insufficient memory, somehow this is fixed by typing exit on the DOS command and letting it retry. Why does this happen? I don't change anything from the initial try to the second?
  2. The path on the USB Hard drive defaults to D: and that's a problem. The custom OS creates a default folder of D: for a Virtual Machine, in this folder, during the normal Blu-Ray installation, certain folders are created inside it so that we can link it with VMWare Workstation. However, when installing from the USB, the ISO for the OS installation overrides this path and the folders are built inside of there. Then it takes the VM folder creates it in the wrong letter path and leaves it blank.

I have thought about copying over the folders to the VM, but I also noted that it created the SMSTS LOG and MININT Folders there for no clear reason, why would an OS install from USB do this?

I don't know what's causing any of these issues or how to stop them. But, I do need to clarify that in those 3 successful installs, none of these were a problem and I was able to finish the servers without problems.

I guess the main question is, how do I stop the D: Path from becoming the default?
The second is, why does the first boot fail?

Windows Server
Windows Server
A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.
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  1. Anonymous
    2022-03-02T01:06:03.913+00:00
  2. Anonymous
    2022-03-03T15:21:38.4+00:00

    You can follow along here.
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/ITProGuru/Create-Bootable-Windows-Server-2016-USB-Installation-Drive-Step-by-step

    --please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--